Course syllabus for Sustainable development and ethics for computer science

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-26 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameHållbar utveckling och etik inom datateknik
  • CodeENM156
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKDAT
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyComputer Science and Engineering
  • ThemeEnvironment 7.5 c
  • DepartmentSPACE, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 49127
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0118 Project 7.5 c
Grading: UG
0 c7.5 c0 c0 c0 c0 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Basic knowledge in programming while having completed the project course in the Computer Science programme.

Aim

The course is aiming to inspire and encourage prospective computer science engineers to contribute to a sustainable development of society in their future profession. This require a fundamental understanding of the concepts of "sustainable development and ethics", environmental and social challenges linked to computer science, as well as insights in the ethical aspects of these challenges. Hence the aim of the course is to give the students the knowledge and the tools needed to manage complex sustainability issues in their future occupations as well as implementing these knowledges by reflecting upon sustainability and ethics through the completion of a computer science project.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

Knowledge
  • Explain the fundamental concepts and issues related to sustainable development and ethical frameworks and how they can relate to computer science and IT
  • Describe the interaction between current societal issues and technological development, focusing on computer science and IT

Skills
  • Retrieve and process societal information necessary to develop a computer science and IT system
  • Analyze a computer science or IT system and its interaction with its environment, both from a sustainability and ethical perspective
  • Explain and discuss their conclusions as well as the information and arguments underlying them in dialogue with different stakeholder

Attitude
  • Critically relate to collected information
  • Reflect on their choices when developing a computer science or IT system, both in terms of product outcome and process
  • Reflect on ethical and sustainability aspects of applications of computer science and IT systems

Content

The course has a practical approach to ethics and sustainable development. This means that the students develop in project form their own computer or IT system during the course. The developed system and the choices they made during the development, form experiences on which they then apply theoretical concepts and reflect on relevant questions and issues. In this way, current societal questions are made concrete and related to the students own work and their future profession as engineers.

Organisation

The theoretical concepts and the project are presented at the beginning of the course in the form of lectures. The introductory lectures are followed up by supervision sessions when the course focuses on the project. In parallel, the theory is deepened by analyzing a number of computer science or IT application from different theoretical perspectives. At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to account for the system they have developed and their implementation strategy in written and oral form.

Literature


Examination including compulsory elements

The students are examined individually and in groups. The group examination consist of a report analyzing both the implemented system and the group's work based on ethical frameworks and sustainability perspectives. The individual examination consists of applying the theoretical knowledge to specific case of computer science or IT systems presented through lectures and/or literature.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.